Mastodon has been together as a band since 2000 and, outside the departure of original vocalist Eric Saner in 2001, has never undergone a lineup change. In a new interview with Metal Wani, bassist Troy Sanders explains the two main things he feels has kept Mastodon together for over two decades. Sanders believes it all boils down to being able to have a good relationship with his bandmates, and that everyone carries the burden of writing music equally.
"I attribute the longevity to two main things, I believe. Number one is that we have, thankfully, over time continued to grow together. In any human relationship, you always hope for the best, but it's very natural for people to grow apart. And that's very normal — a normal thing to happen. So the good fortune and fate that we've stuck together and continued to grow together.
"And number two is that we're all still incredibly passionate about creating music. Thankfully, none of us have a personal writer's block where… We're not the main songwriters, so if someone's only coming up with one or two ideas for this album, well, don't worry — the other guys have you covered because we're a band in the true sense of the word, I believe. So the two points is that we've thankfully grown together, and we've all continued to share this… The fire in our bellies to create has yet to be extinguished. So those two things are keeping us together."
Mastodon recently released their eighth overall album Hushed And Grim, which we really loved (and has ended up on quite a few year-end lists).
